Community Press Release

To commemorate their accomplishments ahead of the start of their college careers, the Kraft family welcomed the 2025 Partners in Patriotism Jimmy McGowan Memorial (PIP JMM) Scholarship recipients, alongside their families and friends, to the Patriots preseason opener against the Washington Commanders on Friday, Aug. 8. Bianca Cass, Coleman DuPlessie, Maddy Luck and Jillian Slattery (recipient Madhava Sampreet Veduri was unable to attend) were personally congratulated by Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, watched pregame warmups from the sideline and enjoyed the game from club seats.

Cass, DuPlessie, Luck, Slattery and Veduri will each receive a $5,000 academic scholarship from the Kraft family and Partners in Patriotism Fund as they embark on their postsecondary education. Beginning this year, the scholarship has been named the Partners in Patriotism Jimmy McGowan Memorial Scholarship in honor of Jimmy McGowan, a charter member of the PIP Fund Grants Committee who passed away earlier this year. McGowan embodied the values of community service and leadership that guide the recipient selection process, and his legacy will continue in each of the PIP JMM Scholarship recipients.

Since the inception of the PIP Scholarship program in 2018, the Kraft family has awarded a total of $200,000 in scholarship money to graduating high school seniors from Foxborough with postsecondary education plans. The program, in partnership with the Kraft family’s nonprofit organization, the Partners in Patriotism Fund, offers up to five $5,000 scholarships each year to students who exemplify good character, high integrity, respect for others and a dedication to community service.